Editorial Board Guest Author

Ms. Rice

Doll Rice

Vice President of Revenue Optimization, Prism Hotels & Resorts

Doll Rice is the Vice President of Revenue Optimization for Prism Hotels & Resorts, an award-winning full-service hotel management, investment and advisory services company. Her professional responsibilities with the organization include assisting and supporting Prism's diverse portfolio of hotel properties in all areas of revenue management.

Over the course of more than two decades of wide-ranging hospitality industry experience, Ms. Rice has served in a wide in a variety of different operations positions. A 1997 job as a reservations manager at the Hilton SW Hotel in Houston, Texas, would alter the trajectory of her career. The position ultimately had a transformative impact on her perspective, realigning her professional goals and helping her realize that revenue management was her true passion. Prior to her return to Prism in 2012, Ms. Rice served as the Director of Market Strategy in Austin, Texas, for Marriott International from 2008 to 2012. Before that, she served as a Regional Director of Revenue Management with Prism Hotels & Resorts. While the majority of her professional experience has been with Marriott hotel brands, she has also provided revenue management services and expertise for a wide range of prestigious national and international hotel brands, including Hilton, IHG, Wyndham, Radisson, Choice, and Independent Hotels & Resorts.

Ms. Rice is a graduate of The University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where she earned a degree in journalism and public relations with a minor in business. A lifelong Longhorn, she currently resides in Austin, Texas where she enjoys the outdoors and spending time with her daughter.

Author's Articles

Human Resources: An Era of Transition

Traditionally, the human resource department administers five key areas within a hotel operation - compliance, compensation and benefits, organizational dynamics, selection and retention, and training and development. However, HR professionals are also presently involved in culture-building activities, as well as implementing new employee on-boarding practices and engagement initiatives. As a result, HR professionals have been elevated to senior leadership status, creating value and profit within their organization. Still, they continue to face some intractable issues, including a shrinking talent pool and the need to recruit top-notch employees who are empowered to provide outstanding customer service. In order to attract top-tier talent, one option is to take advantage of recruitment opportunities offered through colleges and universities, especially if they have a hospitality major. This pool of prospective employees is likely to be better educated and more enthusiastic than walk-in hires. Also, once hired, there could be additional training and development opportunities that stem from an association with a college or university. Continuing education courses, business conferences, seminars and online instruction - all can be a valuable source of employee development opportunities. In addition to meeting recruitment demands in the present, HR professionals must also be forward-thinking, anticipating the skills that will be needed in the future to meet guest expectations. One such skill that is becoming increasingly valued is “resilience”, the ability to “go with the flow” and not become overwhelmed by the disruptive influencesof change and reinvention. In an era of transition—new technologies, expanding markets, consolidation of brands and businesses, and modifications in people's values and lifestyles - the capacity to remain flexible, nimble and resilient is a valuable skill to possess. The March Hotel Business Review will examine some of the strategies that HR professionals are employing to ensure that their hotel operations continue to thrive.